London-based Luxury Watch House, Backes & Strauss, was a proud sponsor of the first Lewa Borana Ball this November. The fundraising event was held at the Dorchester Hotel on Thursday, 1 November, 2018 and helped raise £588,000 GBP in support of the Lewa and Borana Conservancies’ next generation of conservation work.

The Miss Victoria timepiece in white gold was generously donated by Backes & Strauss for the ball’s Live Auction. This elegant cocktail watch was modelled by the beautiful Lady Tatiana Mountbatten throughout the evening.

For generations, both Lewa and Borana have represented the gold standard in wildlife conservation, ecotourism, and sustainable community development. Since their inception, the Lewa and Borana Conservancies have benefited from the support of families and friends from around the globe. When the fence between Lewa and Borana was taken down in 2015, these neighbouring conservancies made history, marking the first time that two privately managed and owned conservancies had undertaken such an important step for the benefit of Kenya’s wildlife and some of its most threatened species.

Together, Lewa and Borana now account for 93,000 acres of safe wildlife habitat. The success and sustainability of this partnership is also achieved through the support of the local communities where over 60,000 people reside and benefit from the conservancies’ education, healthcare and welfare programmes.

The Victoria Blue Heart

Backes & Strauss’ previous philanthropic endeavours include the fight against human trafficking and the poaching of African elephants. In 2010, Backes & Strauss designed the bespoke Victoria Blue Heart to directly benefit and highlight the work of the United Nations’ Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking.

The Regent Tears of the African Elephant 4047

With the official support and endorsement of His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge, Backes & Strauss created two one-off masterpieces in 2017 to support the ‘Tears of the African Elephant’ charity, which was founded in reaction to the surge in demand for ivory; the Regent Tears of the African Elephant 3238 & 4047.